- Michel Esquerré, president of PymeMad Nacional, was invited to participate in the Regional Export Council organized by ProChile Biobío, a key platform to address the export crisis affecting the small and medium-sized forestry sector.
The event took place at the offices of Desarrolla Biobío in Concepción, convened by Cristóbal Herrera Gazale, Regional Director of ProChile. The meeting brought together representatives from exporting companies and regional trade associations to learn about ProChile's activities and hear the sector's needs.
Regarding the crisis facing the sector, Esquerré stated that "forestry exports have dramatically fallen from 10% in 2015 to less than 4% today. This crisis is the tip of a giant iceberg. Problems have been brewing for a long time, and the damage to the regional productive chain is not easy to repair."
The leader evaluated the meeting positively, highlighting that "the meeting had a positive connotation. The authorities showed genuine interest and left with important questions and a commitment to seek concrete solutions from ProChile."
Among the topics discussed were the need to diversify the regional export matrix through innovation, the impact of the crisis on timber SMEs, and the urgency of implementing specific support measures for the sector.
PymeMad represents nearly 100 small and medium-sized sawmills from Maule to Los Ríos, generating direct employment for over 10,000 Chilean families.